U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,135 to Eickmeyer et al discloses an educational device comprising a plurality of slideways for receiving cards. The slideways are arranged in superimposed vertical-spaced relation. According to U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,135 the device enables a student to match numbers with number words, match pictures with picture name words, perform simple addition, subtraction, and multiplication, and to associate words. However, this device does not provide the dynamics or fun associated with toys having flowable balls.
Educational toys utilizing moveable balls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,329,850 to Pye, U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,380 to Rivers, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,240 to Boskovic. In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 1,329,850, beads are threaded onto a string which is then attached to a flat board. Rearrangement of the beads requires disassembly of the device. U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,380 discloses a complicated device for passing balls through a runway and then into a plurality of channels. A multicompartment sorting toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,240. In this device, a plurality of colored or otherwise identifiable balls are sorted by the user through apertures until all balls of one type or alignment are located in each of the compartments.
The present invention provides an educational toy which is compact, sturdy, simple and inexpensive to construct. The device utilizes flowable balls to teach a variety of concepts such as up-and-down, left-and-right relationships, part-whole relationships and number and color awareness. It provides a means for developing counting skills and hand-eye coordination.